Work With Me
by cowboyboy
Summary: Aria gets hired at a bookstore and is assigned to work with a guy named Ezra. A harmless comment that accidentally offends Aria pits her against him, and she wonders if she could ever do more than tolerate him. While immersing herself in her new job, she has to make sure not to let her secret slip. (An Ezria Story)


**AN: Hi everyone! I didn't realize all of the code that was included in the chapter that wasn't supposed to be! Sorry for the error, and this and future chapters will be code free :) -m**

As she stood in front of the glass door, Aria grew more and more nervous. It was the first day of a new job. A new start for her, a chance to be someone great in the eyes of new faces. But she wondered if she could pull it off. Sighing heavily, releasing any doubts and thoughts she had about just going back home out with her breath which formed a little cloud of water vapor around her lips. She knew she couldn't leave. A new job would be good for her.

She pushed the door open, and there was no turning back as a bell above the door jingled, alerting all staff to her presence. She looked around, and they all stopped what they had been doing. A girl and guy behind the front desk, and half a dozen people doing various tasks such as straightening and sweeping. The silence was broken by the man behind the counter, finally.

"Are you the new employee?" He looked older, but he was still attractive. He had a middle part that reminded Aria of teenage Leonardo DiCaprio and he had muscular arms which were covered by a tight short sleeve shirt. He wore an apron and his name-tag read 'Jason.'

"Uhm, yeah. My name's Aria Montgomery, we spoke over the phone I think?" She extended her hand, but he ignored it. Jason seemed a little less attractive.

"Oh, I do remember! You're the girl we hired because your bro-"

"—Yes that's me! Um…can you show me what I need to do?" She knew she rudely interrupted him, but she had no choice. She couldn't have a secret like _that_ getting out. Jason simply shrugged, and then looked around, squinting his eyes as if he was thinking long and hard.

"Sure. I'll put you in the back with Ezra." Ezra? Who was that? And who the hell would name their child Ezra? "And you can put your stuff in the back room and grab an apron, here's your name tag. Just come back out when you're ready and I'll take you back and Ezra can show you the ropes." She went into the break room, and sat her coat and bag onto the floor, chose the smallest apron they had, clipped on the name tag, and came back into the room where Jason was waiting.

"The store opens in five minutes, so we need to get you set up quickly." He muttered, somehow hoping that Aria heard as she followed him into a separate room with a man who's back was turned to her.

"Ezra, she's new, please show her how we do things here." And with that, Jason was gone.

She still had no clue what she was doing working at a bookstore. She hadn't stepped into one since the incident, mostly because she lost her love for reading. Hopefully this would restore her past joy for literature. Out of all the jobs a girl in college could land, she ended up here. She was disrupted from her thoughts by this guy, Ezra.

"Aria?" She turned her head forward, and jumped slightly when she was him right in front of her, him reading her name from her apron. She looked up and finally saw his face. Her face turned redder the longer she looked at him. He was _way_ hotter than Jason if she was being frank. Ezra had curly brown hair, blue eyes, and she didn't know what about his face made him so attractive. He had on a creme-colored waffle sweater that was mostly covered by his apron. He stood tall above her and she realized that she was just staring.

"Oh! Yes? What's wrong?" She babbled, tripping on her words. He chuckled and said,

"I'm just wondering if I'm pronouncing your name correctly?" He had a small lopsided smile as he said this, as if he was amused that Aria was clearly red and embarrassed.

"Yeah, you're right! Anyway, um, can you show me what I'm supposed to do?" She shifted her weight onto one foot and then the other, back and forth.

"Sure, of course. Here in the children's section, we just set up reading activities for kids to do, and prepare for future activities. Simple really when you get the hang of it." He observed her striped top and cuffed jeans, which were nothing special. "I'm happy to see you dressed down a little for this! This job can get sort of messy with all the markers and watercolors." He chuckled. When she heard him say that, her nose automatically crinkled, and she took a moment to swallow her pride. The fact of the matter is that those were the best clothes she owned now. She couldn't afford anything else, at least not yet.

"..Thanks." She whispered, now staring at the ground instead of him. "What do you want me to do?"

The day passed slowly. It was only 1:30, and she had to be there until 9. She did tasks that she was given silently and quickly, giving Ezra no reason to talk to her. She didn't care if he didn't realize, that comment turned her off to him, and she would just have to learn to tolerate him. Her thoughts were halted when a large figure blocked light coming through the windows. She looked up, lo and behold Ezra.

"Did I say something wrong? You've been quiet all day so far." She became too upset to contain her pride any longer and snapped at him.

"I didn't dress down for this job, I'm actually wearing the best clothes I own, you asshole." He instantly turned around to make sure that no toddler heard Aria's colorful language. She looked over, and in the corner of her eye saw Jason in the doorway, and he seemed angrier than she was.

"Come with me. Now." She shuffled behind him into the storage closet, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Despite the dark, you could see the blood boiling through Jason's veins. "It's your first fucking day, and you're already insulting other staff members? I don't care if your brother is a dickhead, that doesn't mean you get to be a dickhead. So get out there, smile, and be nice, you fucking bitch."

Stunned, she walked back into the room, pinching herself so she wouldn't cry. Aria now knew the hell she was in for.


End file.
